Students who begin a Bachelor of Arts program in September 2024 or later must take a set of breadth credits from multiple “Ways of Knowing” categories.
Courses from the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies (FHIS) are categorized as follows:
- Language as Meaning: FREN, SPAN, ITAL, PORT, CTLN
- Humanities and Creative Arts: RMST
- Place and Power: ASTU 399, RMST 326
Since your major will automatically fulfill one of these categories (e.g. French/Spanish majors automatically fulfill the “Language as Meaning” category; Romance Studies major automatically fulfills the “Humanities and Creative Arts” category), you are required to take 21 credits from additional categories, to be distributed accordingly:
- 9 credits (in one course code) from a 2nd breadth area
- 6 credits (in one course code) from a 3rd breadth area
- 3 credits (in one course code) from a 4th breadth area
- 3 credits for Place and Power (which may also fall in one of the above or your major)
FHIS courses offered in the 2024-2025 Winter Session
Below is a list of courses that fulfill these breadth requirements, along with suggested course bundles.
We recommend using the ‘Ways of Knowing’ Course Planning Tool with this list to help you plan.
Place and Power
ASTU 399 — Special Topic: Indigenous Stories of Hydro Power in Quebec and BC
Humanities and Creative Arts
All RMST courses are taught in English and have no prerequisites (except for 400-level courses, which require students to have at least second-year standing).
Comparative Romance Studies:
RMST 201 + RMST 202
Romance World Prose Fiction and Theatre/Poetry:
RMST 301 + RMST 302
Romance Linguistics and Translation:
RMST 400 + RMST 419
Italian Culture:
RMST 100 + RMST 350
Portuguese and Brazilian Literatures and Cultures:
RMST 260 + RMST 361
RMST 400-level courses are only open to students with at least second-year standing. If you need special approval, please contact fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca.
Language as Meaning
French
To determine which course level to begin with based on your previous experience with the language, use the Placement Questionnaire Tool.
If you are new to French:
FREN 101 + FREN 102
If you completed French 11 in high school:
FREN 201 + FREN 202
If you completed French 12 in high school:
FREN 301 + FREN 302
If you completed French Immersion:
FREN 401 + FREN 402
If you are near-native speaker of French:
- Reading and Writing:
- Grammar and Translation:
Spanish
To determine which course level to begin with based on your previous experience with the language, use the Placement Questionnaire Tool.
If you are new to Spanish:
If you completed only Spanish 11:
- To advance to a higher level:
SPAN 201
If you completed Spanish 12:
- To refresh and expand Beginner’s Spanish:
SPAN 103 - To refresh and expand Elementary Spanish:
SPAN 203 - To focus on culture and conversation:
SPAN 206 or SPAN 222 - To advance to a higher level:
SPAN 301
If you are a near-native speaker in Spanish:
- Introduction to Hispanic Literature:
SPAN 221 - Introduction to Hispanic Culture:
SPAN 222 - Tradition and Diversity in Spanish History and Culture:
SPAN 321 - History of the Spanish Language:
SPAN 403
If you are new to Spanish:
If you completed only Spanish 11 in high school:
If you completed Spanish 12 in high school:
- To refresh Spanish language:
SPAN 103 + SPAN 203 - To expand skills in Spanish language and culture:
SPAN 301 + SPAN 302 - To focus on conversation and culture:
SPAN 206 + SPAN 222 - To explore literary and cultural studies:
SPAN 221 + SPAN 222
If you are a near-native speaker in Spanish:
- Literature and Linguistics:
SPAN 221 + SPAN 403 - Literature and Culture:
SPAN 221 + SPAN 222 or SPAN 321 - Literature:
SPAN 221 + one of SPAN 357, SPAN 358, SPAN 364, SPAN 365
If you are new to Spanish:
If you completed only Spanish 11 in high school:
If you completed Spanish 12 in high school:
- If you need to refresh your Spanish:
- Introduction to Cultural Studies:
- Literature:
If you are a near-native speaker in Spanish:
- Recommended pathway:
SPAN 221 + one of SPAN 357, SPAN 358, SPAN 364, SPAN 365 + any of SPAN 400-level courses (except SPAN 401, 402) in 2025W
Italian
To determine which course level to begin with based on your previous experience with the language, use the Placement Questionnaire Tool.
If you are new to Italian:
ITAL 101
If you have previous experience in Italian:
Please contact the Student Programs Coordinator (fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca) or the Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca).
If you are new to Italian:
If you completed only Italian 11 or Italian 12 in high school:
- ITAL 201 + ITAL 202
- For more advanced, highly motivated learners:
ITAL 301 + ITAL 302 - Contact Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca) for a proper assessment of your level
If you are a near-native speaker in Italian or have spent a few school years in Italy:
- ITAL 301 + ITAL 302
- For more advanced, highly motivated learners:
ITAL 401 + ITAL 402 - Contact Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca) for a proper assessment of your level
If you are new to Italian:
If you completed only Italian 11 or Italian 12 in high school:
- ITAL 201 + ITAL 202 + ITAL 301
- Contact Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca) for a proper assessment of your level
If you are a near-native speaker in Italian or have spent a few of your school years in Italy:
- ITAL 301 + ITAL 302 + ITAL 401
- Contact Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca) for a proper assessment of your level
The Italian Studies courses that focus on literature and culture rather than language are available under Romance Studies (RMST). Please see our RMST information and contact fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca if you have any questions.
Portuguese
Language:
PORT 101 and/or PORT 102
PORT 201 and/or PORT 202
Literature and Culture:
PORT 222 and/or PORT 392
- Literature and Culture courses in Portuguese are available to register under Romance Studies (RMST) and are taught in English. Please see our RMST information and contact fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca if you have any questions.
Additional resources
The “Ways of Knowing” breadth requirements are only applicable to new students beginning their degree in September 2024. Continuing students are not affected by this change and will keep navigating their degrees according to their original breadth requirements.